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Best phone

This was the first phone that I have ever had. And still today I have it locked away in the basement, I use it now and then for when I go on holidays, in my opinion this was the best phone that Sony has ever made.

I can remember the day like it was yesterday. I came home from school, and on my bed was the boxed W810i. I took off the covering and opened the box, in all its glory was the phone, it was in my opinion the phone that separated the cool from the nerds.

First thing I did was is read the instructions and manuals provided in the box, I wanted to make sure that is knew what is was in for. After reading the manuals I then proceeded to start the phone up, at the time I had the phone I didn't have a SIM card :(. But anyways when I first booted up the device I was welcomed with the Walkman logo, it was the most amazing thing I had seen as a kid and still today I am amazed. I then followed the on screen wizard to set up my device i.e. time and date, mobile name etc.

Once I setup everything it took me to the home screen. I was so confused on what to do. As it was my first ever phone, yeah I read the manual but my mind just wandered off as I was amazed that I had a phone. So I quickly pulled out the manual and step by step I finally knew what to do. Yeah it took quite a while to understand how it worked. But I'm glad that as a kid I had the chance to play with this phone. Still today setting up the phone is a doodle, it takes mere seconds to set it up.

The orange Walkman button on the phone was the one that I used mostly as I figured out how to assign shortcuts, which allows for easy navigations. I set up shortcuts to music, radio, games, torch (As a kid I was quite scared off the dark, so this was essential).

The music playback was absolutely great, there was an option to filter the sound output using the equaliser, in which you can lower the bass and make it so that you can only hear the person signing, and you could just put everything to max in order to get the best music experience. I just loved messing around with the equaliser all the time, it was so fun listening to songs which sounded a bit odd. But with the radio you had to use the headphones, the wires were used to transmit and receive radio signals. I just hated the headphones as soon as I put one into my ear it would just fall out instantly. Which was the most annoying thing, but I then I used sellotape to help keep them in place :).

The game that came with the phone was bounce, this was the only free game that I could play, and my god was it so addictive it is still today much better than candy crush. I would play this game nonstop because it was that good. The game you had to control a bouncing ball and try to avoid obstacles in your paths, every time you completed a level the levels would get harder. You would use the 2 4 6 keys to control the ball, 2 would make the ball bounce, 4 would make it move to the left and 6 to move to the right.

The torch on the phone is great I used it every time I would hear a noise in the dark and still I use it today (Yeah I'm a big baby), by setting it as a shortcut meant that I could easily access it in a small amount of time the torch was bright enough to illuminate my whole room. It helped me a lot in every situations.

I could go almost a whole week without needing to charge the phone again, most days I would do a bit of heavy usage such as playing games, listening to music, radio and torch. Other days I would just go on the phone for roughly about an hour or so and then just leave it. When charging the phone it didn't take long for it to reach 100% even when the battery has fully depleted.

There were some occasion where I dropped the phone but it was still in good working condition it was like Nokia phone it was indestructible, I dropped it several times on concrete, dropped it in a toilet once or twice (don't ask ;) ).

The internal memory was quite low it was roughly around 200mb or so, so I could only put a couple of songs on it and games. It does have a memory card slot for expansion. The camera was 2 megapixels, which was good in those days, but I never actually used the camera, I was more interested in the games and music.

ProsBest phoneAwesome battery lifeEasy to useHas a torchEqualiser, allows for the user to change the sound outputRadioStrong and rugged

Con Headphones (Didn't fit in my ears)Small Memory

Overall this is the best phone, when I use it on holidays it just helps to bring back the memories from my childhood using this phone. It is a nice small compact phone that can be taken anywhere, it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. It is a great phone, I'm so glad that I have kept it for all these years.

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Was Great In It's Day, Not So Much Now

I originally had the Sony Ericsson K510i and after a few years I was able to upgrade to this phone. I was still only in Secondary School and these phones were very cool. At the point where I owned this phone I could honestly say I had the best phone out of all my contemporaries until the White Walkman phone came out which was an upgrade. Despite this I held onto this phone eventually it was stolen and I was faced with the choice of getting a new device and I got the exact same phone again.

I do not know whose brainwave it was to mix the two sister companies of Sony Ericsson and Sony Walkman but they helped pioneer the phone industry. Without this merger of two separate functions, I do not think the Smartphone of today would exist.

It was only once Sony Ericsson started focusing on the mobile as more than a telecommunications device that people started focusing on how else to utilise the device people were carrying around in their pockets to satisfy their other needs. It is for that reason that I believe this phone should be marvelled at in a Phone museum for its contributions to the mobile industry. However, I do also believe it should remain in that museum and I do not recommend a purchase of this device nowadays.

The main problem with a phone like this in today's world would be storage. Yes it has a side port for extended memory but not anywhere near enough the amount to accommodate the GB's of data needed to store the modern persons digital music collection

For sure what was great then cannot be compared with the standard requirements of such a device in present times and so is best left in the past.

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good phone

I brought this phone 6 years ago and it has lasted me the whole 6 years brilliantly. Admittedly I dont use a phone that often but still it's been brilliant and I didnt once have to get it repaired only thing I had to do was buy a new battery (less than a fiver on ebay)

Advantages:Battery life to start with is brilliant, can last 4 days on standby and around 2 days if you're texting and calling quite a bit.Camera is very good, and the pictures look a lot better when they're uploaded onto a computer, and the software provided with the phone is very good. Music layout it one of the best i've seen, so easy to shuffle or find that specific track or artist.Very durable phone, i've dropped it many times and it still works brilliantly and effectively.

Disadvantages: After a while the battery life got awful (not surprised to be fair) but it was lasting around 1 hour which is why I had to buy a new battery so need to watch out for that. Use of the radio uses a lot of battery up, so you need to watch out for that.Not stylish now.Camera lens got dusty, and it's very hard to clean it as it's sort of in a hole which effects camera quality and sharpeness

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It just have all you need from a phone, very compact and very strong

I am using this tiny little phone from past 5 years now, actually I gave it to my son. All I can say about its reliability is I have never visited a Sony Ericsson's service center with a complain. It just have all you need from a phone. very compact and very strong. I am not saying that it has all those funky features which todays smart phones have but you will know that this phone is more than enough for a standard user as you start using it. The battery is still good. I charge once in 3 days and it lasts for the duration. Music clarity also quite good. The battery doesn't get drained too soon if you listen to music. The speakers provided are also useful. I find the earphones slightly uncomfortable to use though. Best thing about it is the torchlight which has come in handy quite a few times. Camera's also good considering its 2mp. User interface is quite ok. The center button looks like a joystick, but is a regular press key, which is good as joysticks are really painful to use. The phone also looks great, with a black body. The screen gets slightly messy with fingerprints like all SE phones. Could've avoided placing the walkman button next to the back buttonBut,all in all a great phone.

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Awesome phone, brilliant as a festival phone if you don't wanna take your latest SmartPhone

I used this phone for years and didn't bother upgrading because, quite simply, it's ace!

It looks good, the screen is good, the music is good, memory is good, the camera is good, the operating software is good, battery life is good, size is good, the support provided by Sony-Ericsson in the form of downloadable content such as themes, pics, and tones was briliant (at the time at least, I couldn't comment about now) and everything was right with the world :)

The earphones that came with it are also brilliant quality and a good fit. They also block out outside noise really well and keep all the sound in which means you can listen to your music at a lower volume and therefore save battery life.

I still have my w810i as I use it (along with a spare battery) when I go to festivals and I still love it.

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This is what every manufacturer should ensure their phone can do, BEFORE adding features

A long time ago now, I decided that I'd had enough! No more hauling myself to the shops in the rain for top-ups when I ran out of credit, or counting every minute spent on the phone as if it were gold dust being frittered away. No more found or inherited phones. It was to be the 'limitless freedom' of a contract for me.

So, being with Orange, and having the commercial nouse of a hedgehog, I popped off down to the local Orange shop, and signed up for whatever deal the salesman decided to feed me. I presume I bought him a drink or two that evening.

The phone that I selected, on the purest of whims, was the Sony Ericsson W810i. Mine was white, with a garish orange trim. To this day, I still have this phone in a drawer in my house. I've had several different handsets since, from smartphones to stylish little numbers, and it is extremely telling, that this phone, and not any of the others, has remained with me as my backup unit.

Feature wise, it has a number keypad along with 4 or 5 miscellaneous additional buttons, a low resolution colour screen, a light on the back that can be used as a torch, the capacity to store a gig or so of music on an internal memory card, a camera, a loudspeaker mode, a headphone socket, and a charging port. It can connect to the internet and browse web pages in a rudimentary kind of way, but has no GPS, and no capability for using any kind of sat nav.

Compared to modern smart-phones, the battery lasts for eternity. You can charge it up, use it, head off to a weekend long festival, and give your friends a call on the way home.

It's audio capabilities are good, and in my opinion, have only recently just been matched by those provided within android operating systems. However it does have one fairly significant failing in this department, which was Sony's decision to use a proprietary headphone socket. This socket does however allow you , by means of a provided extension featuring a built in microphone, to use any headphones that you might have laying around for both listening to music, and making handsfree calls.The camera takes capable photo's, although viewing them on the slightly pixelated screen is a waste of time. You will be surprised by their quality once loaded onto a computer, although it goes without saying that they won't match the levels attainable with a modern day apple or android powerhouse!

As a side effect of its audio credentials, call quality is also excellent, and provided that you have a reasonable signal, can be reliably used as a house phone substitute - if like me you consider yourself too "modern and untamed" to be tied to a landline (although have about a billion other 12 month utility contracts!).

The phone is also reliable. I acquired mine back in 2004/5, and it is still running well, although some of the cables for the proprietary devices that plug into it have ceased to function, and might now be tricky to replace.

To sum up; if you are looking for a great back-up phone, are on a budget, or have been the victim of a theft and need a cheap temporary replacement, this would be a great choice. When I looked, it was available on ebay, with an accessory package for around £25 pounds. At that price I'd much rather own this, than a budget supermarket model, and I recommend it highly.

A final warning however, do not be "upsold" to the W880i, which is a more stylish variant of the same product featuring additional utilities. My review on that will be forthcoming soon!

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A great phone with all the necessary features

This was my first proper phone and I had for atleast two years. I didn't imagine I would have it so long when I first bought it, but this phone has really been there for me. Firstly when I bought this it was £50 & secondhand. It was in pay as you go and I got 300 free texts with orange each month as long as I topped up a tenner each month. This phone can currently be bought from as little as £19 on Amazon.

The 2mp camera is not the worst camera in the world, neither is it the best. It takes good pictures in good light and is only good for taking casual snaps. There is a picture editor so you can brighten or edit photos. There is a variety of clip art, frames and other settings that can be used.

The main appeal of the phone was the robust design. It felt quite sturdy and I have dropped it more than once without any internal damage to the phone. The layout of the phone is like any other phone, a menu with tabs. It has all the basic functions like calling, texting and gaming.

I was impressed by the memory size and I frequently used to transfer music from my computer to my mobile via a usb. The earphones stopped working after 6 months and I had to purchase a new pair. Fortunately I found a pair of omega earphones for a pound which worked very well.

During the end of the two years I had had this phone, the screen would unexpectedly freeze. This could have been due to lack of memory or damage internally.

I would recommend this phone to anyone looking for a basic mobile without any fancy gimmicks. It also serves well as a second phone to take with you on holiday.

This is the phone's main selling point, and the reason why I bought it. Songs can be downloaded on the phone using Java or transferred from a PC. If you have music on a PC then I'd recommend connecting your phone to the USB port and transferring songs across because it's free. I haven't downloaded any songs over the internet so I don't know how much they cost with this device. The phone's internal memory is only 20MB, however mine came with a 512MB memory stick so I can store 100's of songs. I would enquire before you buy as to whether a memory stick is included as it is pretty vital if you want to use the phone as a Walkman, since 20MB of internal memory will only store maybe 10-20 songs. It does take upto a 4GB memory stick, so it can completely substitute an MP3 player if you want.

The sound quality is good even when playing through the phone's speaker, but I find it's a little crackly at the highest volume. I tend to plug earphones in and this sounds as good as any MP3 player. Also you can choose to leave the phone off while using it as a Walkman, which will save you battery.

Camera:

The camera quality is pretty good I would say. When you first view them on the phone they look ok, but when you then transfer them onto your PC they turn out very good. It would easily suffice if you didn't have a digital camera. What I like about this phone is how easy it is to transfer songs, videos, photos to your PC using the USB that's provided, I'm sure all new phones do this now but this was the first one I ever got that had that capability. It means that if you don't have a memory stick then you don't have to worry about running out of space if you use your phone more for taking photos and videos rather than music, as you can just transfer them across then delete them from your phone.

Java:

I find Java to be slow to load and therefore more of a let down rather than a good feature. Also due to the smallness of the screen everything is sort of squashed up, which in my view affects viewing pleasure, so I don't tend to go on it now. I have used Blackberry's and iphones and these phones are far superior for browsing the internet due to quickness of connection and larger screens. Therefore I would recommend buying a newer phone if you are interested in using the internet on it regularly.

Overview:

I've had this phone for 4 years and it has been very reliable for me as I have not had any problem with it in that time. When I want to use the Walkman feature I usually switch the phone off and I'm sure that has helped my battery as I still only charge it up every 3-4 days. Also it is a very well made phone. I've dropped it countless times and it still works just fine, so I would call it 'clumsy resistant' :)

It would be good for anyone who uses their phone to store music and take pictures/videos as it is pretty much an 'all in one' for this. However it wouldn't be good for people who enjoyed using their phone for games or the internet.

It is currently on Amazon for £79.99

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It has it's flaws

I had this phone on a contract and I wasn't that impressed with it to be honest. The phone looks okay, although it isn't the most attractive of mobile phones. I had the grey version of this phone and it did look a little dull and boring. The phone is easy to use and it doesn't take much working out as the menu is easy to navigate. The buttons respond well to your touch and it doesn't lag behind at all.

The phone sounds okay and the clarity is pretty clear. You can easily hear the other person talking and it sends texts straight away. Texting is easy as the buttons respond well to your fingers and/ or thumbs and you can turn the keyboard sound off if you wish.

It's just a shame that I had to send this phone back four times to be repaired. The buttons ended up sticking and the phone kept turning itself off and on, which was a little frustrating when you were in the middle of a conversation! I was given replacements but the same thing kept happening so I guess it was a bad batch.

It was a pity as the phone itself is so easy to use and to learn and the phone itself is really rather durable. I dropped mine a few times and you could never tell.

You live and learn I guess. I won't be buying this one again unless they have fixed the flaws.

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good but basic compared to other phones

The Sony Ericcson W810i is a great wee phone which adheres to everyone's basic needs and wants from a phone. It is a walkman and therefore it can hold a lot of music and has good speakers. It is compact enough to fit in your pocket which is handy as I am sure other women will agree, handbags can be far too big to be putting your phone into. I got this phone around 5 years ago when it first came on to the market and to me it was the best little phone out there. However, smart phones have taken over and now this phone has dwindled into the distance. I found that the battery only lasted a couple of days and if you were constantly playing music through it, the battery needed charged that night. Also, comparing it to the phone I have now, Samsung Tocco Lite, it isn't as easy to use as touch screen phones and therefore this a downfall. Ease of use is a big issue in the consumer market. It is easy to use don't get me wrong, it just isn't as good as touch screen phones. I am also aware it is alot cheaper now than it was when I bought it 5 years ago, this has to be an advantage! Price is always good if it is low. To conclude, I would say that if you have read my review and think you can put up with charging it every night (like a smart phone has to be) and if you listen to a lot of music through your phone, it is worth a buy.

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I thought this phone was brilliant poand would recommened to anyone wanting a reliable phone.

This was one of the best mobile phones that i had purchased, it had such a lot compacted in to it and is very stylish looking and it easy to use . the walkman was on very good and loud so if you were in the house maybe doing some cleaning you could pop it on and hear it clearly unlike some mobile phones you could also store a lot of music on these phones especially if you have a memory card and you can store more with a higher sd card, the radio is very good on this handset and is clear. the company also provided headphones for when you are on the bus or walking. the camera and video were good quality and you could save them as a screen saver to ensure that special person is always there. I one to would recommend this phone to anyone wanting a stylish and reliable phone.

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Simple, reliable phone, although if you're wanting something high-tech, perhaps not for you!

At the time I bought this phone, it cost me about £100 (around 3 or 4 years ago!), but I believe you can buy it around £80 on amazon! This is one of my favourite mobiles I've owned, one main reason is that I found for me it was unbreakable. Me being clumsy, I must have dropped this phone hundreds of time and no damage was done! It is really sturdy which was the main appeal.

Nowadays, it might be considered a bit of a brick, it hasn't got a sleek design and it is quite bulky. Saying this though, it's not too heavy or too big. The screen is slightly small, and you could definitely find better quality and resolution for the same price as this phone.

There is only 20mb memory on the phone, but there is a memory card slot which allows up to 4GB (Memory Stick PRO DuoTM) . I did buy one of these which helped me store all my photos and music.

The accessories aren't bad, with a few games, a 2.0 megapixel camera and the ability to store mp3 music. For the age I had this phone, (around 15 maybe?) it was perfect. I didn't want anything complicated, but I wanted to be able to store lots of photos and up-to-date music. Bluetooth is also included on this phone, which lets you send music/photos, from one phone to another. This was a big trend between me and my school friends, not sure if it's still in fashion now? But still, its also incredibly easy to upload your photos to a latop/pc if you have a Bluetooth connection. I personally never used to the included pc connector, because it was so fast sending files via Bluetooth.

The phone by Sony Ericsson is part of the 'Walkman' series, claiming that the phone has advanced features relating to music. It lets you download, stream, store and playback music (however you will need to buy a memory to make full use of this!). I wouldn't say the music settings are any more advanced than other mobiles these days, infact I'd say it's pretty standard, so don't get your hopes up.

The camera at 2.0 megapixels is really poor. Its ok to take pictures if you're just wanting to look at them on the phone, but when uploading them to the computer they look pretty awful. The files are tiny and when enlarged they look very pixelated, not attracting at all. On a plus side you can take videos as well, as some mobiles don't have that facility.

Advantages: Easy to use, simple, fairly cheap to buy, reliable, memory card can be bought, very durable!, never had any technical problems with it,

Disadvantages: Other mobiles can be bought at a similar price with better features, nothing extraordinary, standard features, bad camera,

Overall at the time this phone came out I thought it was amazing. Nowadays, it's practical, simple and easy to use, but not exactly out of the ordinary ! I'm sure cheaper mobiles are out there for a similar price, but I think you're paying for the name of Sony Ericsson because for me they are the only brand I find completely reliable. The phone is definitely a benefit for people who simply want a standard phone. There isn't any outstanding features, but it does the simple task a mobile should.

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Very good, cheap, and reliable

I purchased this phone in late 2007, and i have used it a great amount, with it still working to this day. Todays phone are extremely well equipped, although they are very flimsy, whereas this W810i is literally unbreakable, and i'have dropped it several times over time i have had it, including down the stairs. It is currently not my first phone as i have a blackbeery curve 8520, but i still use it on nights out etc.

This phone is a walkman phone, and i have many songs on it (over 300). The phone, even with all these songs on never seems to let me down, and it runs as it did the day i bought it new!! This phone comes with a usb, which i found was very fast when uploading pictures and music either onto the phone or onto the computer. It also has got a very strong radio signal which allows easy access to the radio for your entertainment.

To my knowledge, the only fault to the phone is the backlight, and this broke within the first week i had the phone, therefore it is hard to take good photos!

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Good for the money

This is quite an old phone but if you like easy to use then this is great. I origanally bought this phone for £95 but I bet you can pick one of these up for really cheap now like £30 or under. The camera is quite good on this phone to say its only 2 mega pixel. I like how everything is laid out on this phone. Its really simple. Which is great and not confusing and really easy to find things and get to places. I think Sony Ericsson make the best phones, everyone I knew practically had one of these at some point. Mine was white but I think the black ones look better. This phone has a feature called 'Video DJ' which is really fun. You can cut and add videos with each other and add text to the video and things like that. Its easier to make a video on the phone than it is the actual computer. It has internal memory but not a lot but you can buy a memory card really cheap off Amazon.co.uk. It has bluetooth and other features. Its really good. It does crash sometimes though which can be annoying, and it restarts itself. The walkmen is a really good feature on this phone and is great for listening to music with.

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great little phone for music lovers on a budget.

The first phone i bought on contract was a nokia, with its rubbish camera and poor apps, but at the time it was the best thing ever. Then when the time came to upgrade this phone had come out, and being a music lover i didn't think twice about upgrading.

This phone is definitely one for the music lovers and people that still like the use of buttons and not the touch screen phones. Not to mention the fact that you can pick one of these phones up at next to nothing due to its age and operating systems.

The games on it are good and the best thing about it is that it is very durable, i once dropped mine in the sink (this however i would not advise doing) and after drying it out, it still worked! i couldnt believe it! maybe this was a one off as im sure most phones would die if put in water. but still... this impressed me never the less.

I gave this phone to my sister once i upgraded again and the only reason i upgraded is because of the iphone but i am currently waiting to upgrade back to sony ericsson for the xperia arc as its cheaper than the iphone and better tariffs available.